AGRIBUSINESS: EU Ambassador Hopes To Slash Tariffs

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Trade officials are moving forward on trade partnerships with the European Union and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The negotiations are moving in the right direction, according to trade officials. Ambassador João Vale de Almeida, head of the delegation of the EU to the United States said the world economy is looking good. He said to speed economies up and maximize gains, more trade is needed.

Vale de Almeida said these trade partnerships will lead to strong free trade agreements and become a game changer for bilateral relations between the EU and the U.S. He said he hopes that with the negotiations, tariffs will be closer to zero.

Rowena Hume, trade counselor for the New Zealand Embassy, said American agricultural exports have decreased in recent years. She said agricultural trade with all TPP members represents $150-billion with $79-billion of that in the U.S. alone.